The Road to Recovery
by ThatUnholyAfro
Summary: A new champion, no one fancy, no one special, enters The League of Legends PBE as a hope to overcome his past and become whole again. However his nature has caused him to gain a few enemies already. But what he truly desires is a fresh start... Rated M for profanity, violence, all that good stuff, and maybe a possible lemon. Reviews and opinions are greatly appreciated.
1. Chapter 1: Jojo Arminian

**Author's notes: Hey everyone, I'm quite new here, I just thought I should give this fanfiction thing a try. So here I go. Nothing fancy, short summary, insert character, y'know how it goes. Lend me your thoughts and as always from now, I appreciate your time. Thanks. I do not own League of Legends (obviously), it belongs to Riot,inc. All LoL characters belong to their respective owners.**

**Prologue: Jojo Arminian**

"...fffuuck them, alright? They treat me like... shiit! And I-I try SO HARD to- to be nice to them, but theyy still act like-like I'm nothing!"

The enlarged monkey (that clearly isn't Wukong) downed another round of the green alcohol.

"I dun even CARE aboout them anymore!" He grunted, slamming the glass down.

"Heyy man... y'know... dun let them get yyou down. Cause-cause yer a good guy. Don't get mad... when yer... when yer.. -hic-... D-don't get mad! Cause we both know how ggrreat you actually are!"

The other being was a familiar green blob, Zac. Who is also clearly intoxicated...

"Shhaddap! We're not druunk! Yer drunk!"

The Monkey slurred his words at the bartender.

"Listen, bud. You've had one too many, and then many more. It's time for you to rest." And like that, the bartender took the drinks away.

Monkey put his head down, a loud thud echoed in the nearly empty bar.

Zac leaned over him. "Youu okay, J?"

"Uuhhg-noo... I's treated liiike shit, annn now my summ-summ-SUMMON-"

"Summoner?"

"Eh-yeahhh! That beetch! She doesn't even use me an-anymore."

J raised his head. A little bit of drool at the corner of his mouth, and a red blush on his face. His hair, darker than the Monkey King himself. Almost a jet black even. His eyes were a bit bloodshot, but his iris shone blue. There wasn't anything peculiar about him. No deformities, no astonishing features, save for his stubble on his chin.

"Mayybe she's sick. It happenz sometimes..."

"Noo! No! Cause then... she'd use me ferr bots."

His name was Jojo. He's quite new. Barely anyone knows him. Only one friend, but a few enemies already.

"Keep thhe change, bud." He staggered out the door.

"Alright see ya, bro!" Zac cheerfully waved his friend away, then slid the small sac he left behind toward the bartender.

"Here ya go, Rumby! And now I'm gonna pass oout on yer couch."

"What the- this isn't gold, Zac!"

"-hic- whut?"

"These." Rumble dumped the contents onto the counter, "are rocks."

"Oh... wai- DAMMIT JOJO!"

The cold, muggy midnight air greeted Jojo as he swayed all over the sidewalk, mumbling curses to himself.

Breathing heavy, he squinted at the lights, which seemed to stare into him everywhere he turned.

"Ow. Fffuck. Ssstartinnn to regret thaa drenk..." He moaned, clutching his head with one hand, and used the other to support himself on a wall.

A deafening ring attacked his ears, he felt as though his brain was trying fuck his skull. His heart pounding against his chest.

He sure was a lightweight...

"I'mm not a-a... uhhhh... WHY... do I evn drenk? Doesn't evin FEEL gooood..."

Even though he could barely walk, he pressed on back to the institute. His only real place of solace.

~~~~~~End Prologue~~~~~~

Jojo Arminian is the offspring of a Mary Arminian and Donavan Arminian, both who were part of a native monkey tribe residing near Ionia, in the Plague Jungle. There, he was raised in primate only tribe that acquired a runestone, which granted them great sentience and vitality. But with this new feature cane a fault, a battle over power. And soon a civil war started. Jojo's family resided with the rebellious side. The side which eventually lost. Exhausted, they were driven from their home in the Plague Jungle, towards the northeast. But they swore vengeance. Something that was never achieved, as they were killed off by an unknown organization, which enslaved the young, strong, and finished off the sick and poor.

Little Jojo was only a child when the organization claimed his mother, and father. Leaving him all alone...

Realizing his sudden vulnerability in this dark new world, Jojo broke. All sense of innocence, all sense of compassion... gone. Like a cornered animal he fought for his life, his future, his freedom, and managed to escape the wicked grasp of his pursuers. Others were not so fortunate...

He never looked back, and tried to forget the horrors behind him. But with no home and no allies, Jojo had very little options, and sought out a roof over his head, food for his stomach, and light to shield him from the darkness. This came with great sacrifice as he took up the life of crime. With each passing day his bounty gradually grew higher and higher. From small, simple graffiti to burglary, and then... his first murder of an innocent being. It was just a simple citizen that wished to do the right thing and inform the authorities of criminal movement. A wish that Jojo's boss did not find amusing. This murder however sparked an outrage and the Boss soon found his gang and himself targeted. The bounty hunters came in like vultures. Miss Sarah Fortune, the infamous Sivir, the gruff Malcolm Graves, even Piltover's Finest were contacted to subdue, or eliminate those who were responsible.

And so the gang needed to take the heat off itself, a scapegoat to take one for the team. Poor... Jojo Arminian. He was thrown under the bus so quick he didn't have time to prepare, or react. He didn't even have time to realize it. He had just finished a snatch and run, and was returning back to his shady, one room house...

~~~~~~about some time ago~~~~~~

"Erk..." Jojo clutched his right shoulder, a warm liquid slowly flowed down his arm. He spat out the metallic taste on his tongue, while scanning his surroundings.

2 figures were before home. One lying on the ground, probably unconscious, hopefully to him, dead. Another knelt beside the unconscious one. A nasty scowl trying to penetrate his posture. They both appeared as female. The kneeling one was sporting a red vest with some sort of light armor underneath it that seemed to hug her curvaceous figure. However she had huge robotic gauntlets, which constantly released steam. Her hair was pink and mostly cut short. Over her forehead she wore goggles and had several piercings on her ears and one on the left side of the bridge on her nose. Her eyes also shone a pale shade of blue.

The one on the ground, however looked familiar...

Her long, dark brown hair. All ruffled, and her slightly slender frame accompanied with an jaw-dropping bust.

He would admit, part of his failure to react to them may have been because of the unconscious one's figure. Well... that and the high caliber round that tore a hole in his right shoulder.

"You... you son of a bitch! Do you know what you just did?!" The pink-haired woman snarled. She was just radiating hatred and anger, and he felt it.

"..."

"Buddy, when I get my hands on you. You're gonna wish you were never born..."

"You've tried for a while now... didn't turn out so great, did it?" Sarcasm was a trait he picked up on while living in the ghettos.

A growl, and he only saw a blur of grey and pink.

"Huh?"

BAAMM!

Cold, unforgiving steel collided with his chest. He gasped, the air sucked out if his lungs, and felt weightless. He was in the air, a swift left-uppercut that knocked him 7 feet into the air.

CRACK!

She brought her right gauntlet forward, smashing it into him in midair. Jojo careened into a car, caving in the windshield, causing an indefinite wail to protrude from the machine. He coughed into his left hand, more blood. His right arm was limp and bent in an odd angle.

"Urk!" He groaned, trying to get up. In the distance the pink haired girl, knelt over her partner again. Trying to wake her up, but to no avail. Her movements showed her desperation... and care...

Jojo took this time to recover. Gritting his teeth, he removed himself from the wreckage and readied himself for his assault.

"Cait! Come on, Cait! Get up! Come on! Dammit! Get the fuck up!" The pink haired woman shook the one called Caitlyn furiously.

"GRRRAH!"

She turned to see him charging at her, preparing a kick. Her eyes widened.

_'How the fuck is he still up?!'_

BAP!

She clutched her face and fell on her back. Her mouth became warm and she tasted an all too familiar red liquid. This kick knocked her senseless... she discovered as he stood over her. She tried to move, but froze, his gaze pierced her own.

Jojo narrowed his eyes, and tilted his head. Who were these two?

She winced, placing her right gauntlet over her chest. He had cracked her rib earlier in the fight and she felt it now, her cheek started to swell.

"Who are you?! Who sent you?! What do you want from me?" He spat more blood with each question.

"Aheh... heh..." Between pants, he heard her chuckle. He stepped back taking another aggressive stance, he was not afraid to beat her to death like his first victim, but he had questions, and wanted answers.

She stifled a groan, while trying to sit up. The damage to her body was catching up to her now.

"Are you kidding me..? You kill an innocent person and you think you're gonna get away with it? You must be one of those nut cases we hear from Zaun."

"I knew you were from the special task force. Are you out for a bounty?" He eyed her movement.

"What's it look like, scum? She spat blood in front of him, he took no notice. "And we're taking you in... whether you like it or not."

Empty words, that's all that threat was. She knew she lost the fight. But her dignity remained strong. Deep down she had wished she was faster, maybe then would Caitlyn be okay. She covered him pretty good earlier in the fight. But surprisingly no results. The monkey just kept getting up, no matter how bad he was beaten.

"..."

Silence, she hated it. He just stood there watching over her. She'd try another assault if it weren't for fatigue and pain settling in.

"You enjoying yourself, you sadistic bastard? Huh? Getting your rocks off?"

"..."

"... you're sick... you know that? Truly sick..." She finally sneered.

"HEY!" Both their heads turned, a man wielding an enlarged futuristic hammer dashed towards them.

Jojo glanced back at the two women then limped off quickly into the darkness surrounding them...

~~~~~~End of Chapter~~~~~~

**Author's notes: Here you go. First fanfic ever. Let me know what you guys think. I had some fun doing this. I appreciate your time. Oh, yeah! Jojo is a bit of an ass.**

**Jojo: :( I am not! You're the one writing my story!**

**ThatUnholyAfro: Don't listen to him. He drinks. Have a nice day!**


	2. Chapter 2: Gotta make some new friends

**Author's notes: Here's chapter 2, I apologize for the many mistakes in Chapter 1 as my computer is currently broken and I'm on my phone. Reviews and views are always appreciated. As always, I don't own any League of Legends characters, just the inserts. **

Chapter 2: Gotta make some new friends...

~~~~~~present~~~~~~

Jojo arrived in his room at the institute, slightly bruised from the walk home. Not because he was attacked but because his tolerance for alcohol wasn't high resulting in no balance.

He spent five minutes trying to figure out why he couldn't open his door, and was on the verge of collapsing into a state of slumber right there in the hallway.

"Y'know you have to push it, right?"

"Mmm-eh?" Jo spun around nearly falling off balance. Before him sat... another large monkey, just... like... him...

Jojo simply stared, not sure what to make of the other primate before him. He wore a green chest plate, with patterned green gauntlets. His belt had the sculptured head of some sort of serpent dragon. Covering his legs were pants that reminded Jojo of the pants humans used for martial arts training. A large staff with two sculpted dragon heads on each end of it rested on his back. He was also covered with cuts and bruises. Wukong, the Monkey King stood before the drunken, confused Jojo.

"I said, the door is push only." Wukong made a motion with his hands.

'_Boy, he sure is bright.'_

"Oh! Yeahhh... I kneww that." Jojo slurred. He applied a bit of force to the door... and fell in his room.

Wukong stifled a laugh.

_'But amusing nonetheless.'_

Jojo quickly sat up, glancing behind to see if Wukong was still there. He still was. The look of amusement still plastered on his face.

"Forget everything yoouu jus saw..."

"Whatever you say." Wukong sang. And closed the door, leaving Jojo alone with his thoughts.

"Facking wierdo..." he let out a hiccup, then crawled towards his bed. Ready to be embraced by the warmth of his blanket...

~~~~~~morning~~~~~~

Knockknockknockknock.

"Mmph..."

Knockknockknockknock.

"Mmph..!

Knockknockknoc-

"WHAT?!" Come on! Jeez!"

"Mr. Arminian? Summoner Grey at your service."

The 5'7'' male, slowly drifted towards Jojo. He extended his hand. He looked to be of an asian descent. Under his robes, Jojo could make out the features of his face. His eyes were dark brown, or were they black? His hair however had been dyed white, it was short, yet wavy and free.

He still didn't shake Grey's hand.

"You haven't told me what are you doing, or why are you here?" He lied back down, hands behind his head. His tail dancing between the sheets. Jojo watched it with boredom.

The summoner frowned, while retracting his hand.

"My apologies, Mr. Arminian. I understand you are currently being tested to join the League of Legends?"

"Mhmm."

"Then my reason for showing up here is because it would seem that your summoner... a Miss Longhorn? Has not been fulfilling the requirements by using you for upcoming battles." Grey flipped through the small note pad in his hands.

"Yep. She pretty much bailed on me."

"Which is why I'm here. The elderly and senior summoners believe that I meet the requirements in order to inspect your combative abilities."

"Oh did they now?" Jojo still hadn't looked at him, instead playing and fingering his tail.

"And so I felt it was rather necessary to inform you that you will now be in a contract partnership with me instead of Miss Longhorn. The decision was up to the elderly summoners alone."

The black monkey sat up, "Well... That's fantastic." Grey could sense the sarcasm in his tone. His patience started to slowly wear away.

"And so I request to get to know each other better."

Jojo stopped, _'Aha!'_ Grey struck a chord.

"What?"

"I said, I request that we get to know each other more. Communication is key for a healthy partnership."

Jojo opened his mouth, but no words emitted from it.

"Come this way." He bowed and motioned his arms towards the door.

He was reluctant at first, but got up eventually.

"You first." He took his defensive stance.

"As you wish." Grey smiled and walked out the door. He hesitated, but finally followed the summoner.

~~~~~~a few minutes later~~~~~~

"Where are we going?" Jojo lagged behind the summoner, who seemed to walk briskly.

"To the bar!" He happily cheered.

"Why?"

"A bar is a place where many can sit down, and socialize. It's a great place to test one's social skills."

"It's also a great place to put someone's head through the wall while intoxicated..."

Summoner Grey stopped, and turned his head ever so slightly.

"Mr. Arminian... we cannot understand each other until we break this barrier of hostility. And I believe a few drinks will help with the ever so present tension!" He energetically opened the door.

_'We're here already?'_ Jojo thought, he remembered it taking much longer to get back to the institute. The sign was off during the day but he recognized it, 'Rumble's bar aka The Flailing Cow.' What was ironic was that Alistar was a regular customer and frequently left "flailing", hence the change of name.

"Ah! Right there! That table by the window. A perfect environment for our test." Grey quickly pulled open a chair for Jojo and sat down.

He motioned for him to take a seat. Jojo narrowed his eyes but decided to go with it. He couldn't help but wonder what this man's true intentions were.

Grey retrieved his small note pad. Flipping through it. He cleared his throat.

"So... question one: What is your name?"

Grey looked Jojo right in his eyes.

"Fucking serious?" He tilted his head.

"Mr. Arminian, I must request that you refrain from using such explicit vocabulary during this time period. Please answer the question."

"Jojo Arminian..." he sighed. "How many questions are we doing anyway?" He glanced out the window, a familiar pink haired woman walked by the window, she did not see him.

"As much as we can do. The point of this experiment is to let the elders and seniors see where you mentally reside."

"I thought we were getting to know each other?" He still looked out the window.

"This exercise will also strengthen the bond between us." He smiled again.

_'What a fucking creep...'_ Jojo continued to stare out the window. His eyes following the Pink Haired woman, who decided to enter the store across from them. He kind of wished he would've been attacked by her again right now. At least he'll have an excuse to avoid this exercise.

"Question two: How old are you?"

"..."

Silence was the response. In the background, Rumble was shouting something, maybe a new guy messed up the drinks.

Whatever the case, it sure didn't help the growing tension that seemed to suck the air out of the both of them.

Still Summoner Grey remained calm, his face remaining the same way it was the minute he had first met him. Jojo felt threatened. Why was this man so calm? Everyone who met him, disregarding the times he was drunk, had made a point to avoid him. Yet this, one being was so fascinated with him. It was disturbing.

"I dunno..." He finally muttered.

"You do not know how old you are?" Grey cocked an eyebrow.

"No." He flatly stated.

"Very well. Question three: Do you have any relatives?"

"No." Jojo quickly stated. This caused Grey to look up from his note pad. The angry monkey still continued to stare out the window.

"Mr. Arminian... I-"

"Just drop it." He snapped. Grey looked with sympathy.

"I apologize, Mr. Arminian. Next question..."

**Author's notes: A short one. Just to test out the personalities of Jojo and Grey. Hope you enjoyed it. I promise it gets more exciting later on. Have a nice day!**


	3. Chapter 3: And stop being so hostile!

Chapter 3: And stop being so hostile!

~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~

"But why do we need these? They're not good for you at all!"

"Vi please. Have you ever tried these types of cookies?" She held the pack to her friend's face.

"Um... no. But Cait, you have like 5 matches coming up. 3 of them are back to back. You're gonna get a cramp or something!" Vi swatted the pack away.

Vi, the Piltover Enforcer, had her hands on her hips. She was once again trying to convince her partner and lifelong friend, Caitlyn, to not buy Oreos. A brand of new sweets which was recently added to grocery stores everywhere across Runeterra.

Caitlyn however would always dismiss her pleas and objections. Which was ironic, because it was usually she that did the worrying, and Vi would shrug it off.

"Relax... These are for after my matches. A sort of reward, after I win." She grinned, tossing the pack into her cart.

Vi eyed her partner's cart, which was filled with many Oreo packs, other pastries, and sweets. She counted only 3 tea packages.

"Riiight... which is why you have all of these as well?" She shook the cart.

"Um... I win a lot?"

"Mhmm."

"What!? Admit I do! Since when did you care about what I do anyhow? I thought it was my job to do that."

"I-" A look of pain appeared on Vi's face. Her words faltered. Caitlyn spotted this.

"Oh! I didn't mea-"

"No, it's alright. I'm fine." She turned back towards the cart fidgeting with the different brands.

"Vi..." She slowly walked towards her friend, and wrapped her arms around her, embracing her.

Vi stiffened, still not used to such feelings of intimacy, but she eventually returned the hug.

"I'm sorry for that. I didn't mean for it to come out like... THAT. I know you care deeply for me. You've shown this, and I could never repay you for what you did. Don't you ever think otherwise, okay?" Her embrace tightened.

"Yeah... yeah... Okay Caitlyn." She replied, a hint of sadness still present in her voice.

"Do you hear me? I don't think you did." Her hands drifted towards Vi's sides. A devious smirk appeared on her lips.

"Wait... NO! I-HAH- I HEAR YOU! I DO! AHAHAH! GODDAM- WE'RE IN PUBLIC! AHA-STOP!" She squirmed.

The grocery store was then filled with confused onlookers as Vi's pleas and laughter echoed throughout it.

~~~~~~Back to where we were~~~~~~

Summoner Grey was still questioning Jojo. They haven't made much progress, as his usual response was, "I dunno." As the questions kept coming and the responses the same. Grey would admit he was becoming slightly irritable, though he wouldn't show it, because Jojo made no attempt to communicate nor was he trying to complete this experiment.

"Question 15: What do you think about the men and women about the League of Legends?"

Jojo sighed in annoyance, he really did not want to do this anymore.

"I dunno, I don't like them."

Summoner Grey inhaled deeply, held it for a moment, then exhaled.

"Mr. Arminian, I cannot say I understand the pain that you're going through. But I will say that I empathize you. But acting like this will not make your situation any better. THAT, I can assure you."

Jojo growled in response. He never liked being reminded of his "situation".

"Well this isn't making _my situation_ any better either. In fact I think I'd rather leave before something bad happens." He stood up, and started for the door.

"You cannot run away forever. Soon, your problems will confront you, and what will you do then?" Jojo blinked, and suddenly, Grey was directly between him and the door.

"Will you attempt to run away again? Or will you finally face them?"

He gritted his teeth. Balling up his fist and breathing heavily, he muttered, "I'll do what I always do, and survive. Now get the **fuck** out of my way."

They didn't notice but the whole room was silent. All eyes were upon them.

Rumble eyed them as well, while doing off a glass. If a fight did go down then he would definitely have to intervene, this wasn't the first time he had to anyway. But he was wary of it.

And why not? He had heard of Summoner Grey's abilities in combat, and how he would like to avoid as much violence as possible. But Jojo, he was a different story. From what he heard, Jojo was unpredictable, angry, and... lost. So he couldn't help but feel a little pity for him. Still however the ever burning tension in the room held everyone by the neck.

"Very well." Grey did that smile again. "I'm sorry for bothering you, Mr. Arminian. I do hope that this incident will not cause future problems when we train together." He stepped out of his way.

Jojo looked behind him, everyone's eyes were now on him. Stares riddled with accusations. He then looked back at Grey and his eyes narrowed. Grey was now extending his hand toward him, that smile still on his face.

_'So... this is your plan, huh? Make me look like the asshole?' _Hastily taking his hand with his own, he shook it. After he let go, he glanced at the crowd once more. One at a time the customers returned to their own business.

Jojo then proceeded out the door.

"No. I'm not trying actually. You seem to be succeeding in doing that yourself. I'm trying to help you. If only you'd let me."

Jojo froze. He quickly turned around, but the door closed before he could respond.

He stood there in bewilderment. Just who was this guy? And why did he care exactly? Partner-wise he would've left his personal business alone, yet his sudden confrontation of his past.

_'You cannot run away forever. Soon, your problems will confront you, and what will you do then?' _

Those words lingered in his mind. For a few years, he had tried to forget about his past. But they always loomed over him. Constantly invading his thoughts, preventing him from ever being at peace... He could remember them so clearly...

~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~

_"FATHER!"_

_"SHH! It'll be okay, sweetie! Just look at me, okay? It's gonna be okay!"_

_"NO! FATHER! STOP! LET HIM GO!"_

_"SHHH! It'll be okay!_

_Three men carried off the adult male giant monkey. Unaffected by the little one's cries of protest, the mother was trying to shield him with her body._

_They covered his head with a sack. Nearby, another man carried a large axe. It's blade stained with dried blood._

_"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! STOP IT!" He shrieked, fighting to rush to his father._

_"Let's get this over with." One of the men said, he lit a cigarette._

_"Yeah, hurry up will ya? This little bitch is starting to hurt my ears." Another smirked. He too, lit up a cigarette._

_The Executioner walked towards the larger monkey, who was breathing heavily._

_"Do you have any last words?" He grimly asked, the mask seemed to smile menacingly despite the situation._

_"... Rest now... for when the time comes, you will finally see..." The elder monkey had calmed down, his breathing returning to normal._

_The men stayed silent for a moment, trying to grasp his statement._

_But finally the leader waved his hand._

_The Executioner raised his axe..._

_"FATHER!"_

_The little one tried once more to escape his mother's grasp, but she shielded him again, holding him close, trying to bite back tears._

_The Executioner brought down his axe..._

~~~~~~Present~~~~~~

He flinched, heart pounding furiously against his chest. He was still outside of the Flailing Cow. Someone tugged at his pants. It was a little, red-haired girl with a pink bookbag. She looked like she was crying.

"Excuse me, Mister. Have you seen my bear, Tibbers?" She spoke softly, looking up at him.

He swallowed, and took in the air around him. His memories still clear in his mind, but he couldn't dismiss a child that was in need of assistance. He knew what it was like to be that child. He knelt down until he was eye level with her.

"No..." he replied, his voice hoarse. "I can't say I have. What is your name?"

"My name is Annie."

"Well tell me Annie, what does Tibbers look like?"

Annie paused. She fiddled with her thumbs.

"Uh... he's brown. And on... fire?" She looked down at her shoes, seemingly avoiding eye contact.

Jojo raised an eyebrow.

"On... fire?"

"Yeah."

Jojo observed the child, and then his surroundings. A few citizens walked by, they took no notice to both of them.

"Tell you what, why don't show me where was the last time you saw your bear, okay Annie?"

"Really?! You'll help me find Tibbers?!" Her emerald eyes gleamed with happiness. She also clapped her hands together

"Uh... sure. I'll help you. Lead the way."

"Okay! This way, Mister!" She grabbed his hand.

They proceeded down lane towards the Institute.

~~~~~~Meanwhile again. About a minute or two earlier~~~~~~

"I'm serious, Cait. You're going to regret eating these when you're fighting Ezreal or something and all of a sudden. BAM! It hits ya."

"If that's what you believe, sure."

Vi and Caitlyn had just finished purchasing the sweets and were on their way to their car.

"For me to get a cramp. I'll have to actually put some effort in fighting him." She stared at Vi, a large grin appearing on her face.

It took Vi a few seconds to grasp the joke.

"Oh! You're so tough!" She laughed.

"Why yes. Yes I am. Thank you for acknowledging this." Caitlyn giggled, putting the bags of sweets into their car trunk.

"We still have to do that one on one, y'know?" She handed Caitlyn another bag.

"Vi... you of all people should know that a one on one does not settle a dispute as there are many, many variables that can alter the results."

"Mhmm... nice excuse." Her gaze drifted past the car, she saw a little girl and a... man? It looked like one but...

"Oh look. It's the child from hell."

Caitlyn paused, irked by Vi's blunt comments.

"Annie may be a fearsome opponent on the battlefield but do not forget she's still just a little girl."

"Yeah... that can roast your ass faster than you can blink. Just a little girl indeed..." Vi retorted.

"Oh Vi... please don't cry." She sang. Vi ears went pink.

"Will you stop saying th-" She froze, a shiver up her spine.

"Hmm? Don't like it?"

No response...

"Vi? Did my singing put you in a trance?" Caitlyn was almost done adjusting the bag's positions.

"...Caitlyn... it's _**him**_." She could hear the hatred in the word...

"What!" She quickly stood up, searching the area before her eyes. Sure enough. Jojo was in their complete view now on the other side of the street. Annie was holding his hand and skipped towards the institute's direction.

"Get down, Vi!" She whispered, and pulled her friend behind the car. She removed her hat as well.

"What the fuck is he doing here?!"

"How should I know? What's he doing with Annie is the better question." She peeked over the trunk. Jojo and Annie's backs were to them now.

"Oh my god..." Caitlyn turned towards her partner, who had a frightened look on her face.

"Caitlyn you don't think he's going to do what I think he's going to do, do you?"

Caitlyn gasped.

"Oh no..."

~~~~~~At the entrance of the Institute of War~~~~~~

"It's just right over here, Mister!" Annie skipped into the main hall.

Jojo lagged behind a little. He didn't really like the Institute. It was too noisy and full of people. All around him were summoners wearing different robes that seemed to represent rank. They ranged from a dull bronze, then a gleaming silver, after a bright gold, next a wonderful shine of grayish-white, eventually a beautiful diamond luster, and finally a shiny blue that had the term "Challenger" engraved onto the back of the robes.

There were more than summoners however, as Jojo quickly recognized a few champions he had sparred with on the field.

He recognized the large caucasian male as Garen, the Might of Demacia. He had brown, short, straight hair and his eyes were a dark blue hue. He wielded only a large sword and wore an armor patterned with silver, blue and gold. He also had a blue cape. He looked like one of those royal knights that protected the King.

Another champion stood by him seemingly challenging his presence. He too, had a large buff build like Garen. Except he looked more violent. He also wore armor like Garen except his was bulkier at the shoulders, and had a few spikes on it. His armor was a shade of grey, with a reddish tint to it. His hair was black except for a small patch near the right side of his hair. It also slicked back a little, revealing his intimidating facial expression. He had a few scars on his face as well. A very large axe rested on his back. It looked well attended to however, and shined against the light.

Jojo tensed up when he saw it. Memories crept into his brain once more. He hoped he didn't have to meet him anytime soon. But Annie skipped right to the pair of knights, much to his dismay.

"Hi Garen! Hi Darius!" She grinned.

"Annie..." The red knight simply nodded.

Garen looked down at her, "Why hello, Miss Hastur! Have you've been successful in finding your teddy bear?"

"No. Not yet. But now I have a friend helping me!" She clapped her hands together again.

"Oh? Is it Amumu?"

"Noo~" She sang.

"Ziggs?"

"Uh-uh!"

"Hmm... Teemo?"

"I set him on fire so no!"

Although Jojo was inconspicuous to them, he did freeze when he heard Annie reply about...

'_Teemo? She set him on fire? What?'_

"I give up. Who is it?" Garen chuckled.

_"Ah shit..." _Jojo realized what was about to happen.

"It's Mister, right over there!" Annie's finger pointed towards Jojo.

Garen started walking with Annie towards him, Darius followed behind.

_'Damn it! Damn it all!' _He took an unnoticeable stance as the two knights stood before him. Though Jojo was only slightly shorter then them he was considerably less bulky. He felt small compared to them.

"Ah! Yes! I remember you. We've fought together and against each other on multiple occasions. Garen Crownguard." He extended his arm at him.

"Pleasure to meet you again. Jojo Arminian" He shook Garen's hand, feeling his strength while at it.

"This is Darius, another Champion on the battlefields. And also... the Hand of Noxus." He nodded towards the red knight, who did nothing but stare at him.

Jojo met his gaze, and suddenly felt vulnerable. Perhaps it was the axe, but Jojo actually felt scared again. Though he would not show this.

"Yeah..." He replied.

"...So Annie here tells me that you're helping her find her bear, is this true?"

"Yeah."

"If you don't mind me asking, why?"

"Uh... I dunno... an act of chivalry I guess." Jojo's eyes darted between the two. Garen observed him suspiciously.

"Uhh... huh... well then I certainly don't want to keep you from doing this... act of chivalry. Pardon me." Garen bowed slightly and stepped out of his way, Darius however kept his gaze affixed on him.

"Come on, Mister! Let's go find Tibbers" The red haired girl grabbed Jojo's arm and pulled him towards the champion rooms section. Jojo still felt the stares on him as he was guided away.

~~~~~~At the Champion's Quarters~~~~~~

"It's just right around here, Mister!"

Annie turned the corner, still holding onto Jojo. He took notice to the many doors on his left and right. They all looked the same save for a golden plaques on each door. Each had different names engraved onto them.

He didn't recognize any of the names except for one.

Right beside the door that said, "ANNIE HASTUR" was another one with two names on it.

The names were "VI" and "CAITLYN".

Something about the name Caitlyn seemed awfully familiar... but he couldn't quite figure out why.

"Last time I saw Tibbers he was sitting right there." She pointed at her bed.

_'Caitlyn... hmm... Caitlyn... who is Caitlyn...? Wow... this room...' _He tilted his head, observing the Dark Child's room, everything was pink... and red.

There were few pictures on her wall. One of her. One of what seemed to be her parents. One of her again but this time she was with a little furry creature... who was also on fire. She was laughing in the picture. And the last one has her hugging and kissing a...

_'Is that a child dressed up as a green mummy?' _ He squinted for a better look. No good. It looked as though it he/she was crying. Suddenly, the pleas and cross of a little boy flooded his mind.

"Mister are you even listening to me?" She puffed up her cheeks in annoyance, she had been trying to get his attention for the past minute.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah I'm listening." He snapped out of his thoughts, the memories retreating.

"So where did he go?" She dived under the bed. "He's not down here! And he's not under my blankets!"

"Hmm..." He walked over towards the curtains, which swayed left to right. "The window was open when you last left, Annie?"

"Yeah. It gets hot so Tibbers leaves it open."

"Riiight..." He looked closer at the screen protector, one of the edges seemed to be out of place.

_'That explains it.' _ He removed the screen and stuck his head out the window, they were on the first floor. Perfect for escaping.

"Annie..." He called.

"Yes?" Her eyes widened with joy. "Did you find him?!"

"No. But I know who did." Turning around, he revealed a single piece of cloth. It was jet black, but out had a pattern on it, a hand with a knife through it. The same pattern that was on the back of Jojo's chestplate.

"Looks like I have to visit an old friend of mine." He shoved the cloth in his pocket.

"Does your friend know where Tibbers is?" Jojo could see the sadness in her eyes again.

"I know he does. I'll get him back for you, Annie. Don't worry." He cracked a smile, trying to reassure her. It worked. She was grinning again.

"Can I go too?!"

Jojo paused, scratching the back of his head. He didn't want to bring a this child to his old gang because of their hostility. On the other hand, he was getting some pretty strong clues that Annie was not an ordinary child.

"Uh... I dunno Annie. It's gonna be dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt."

"But he knows where Tibbers is!" She pleaded.

"Well... um perhaps we could find your guardians and tell them abo-"

Footsteps! He could hear them coming from down the hall.

_'More than one... a trap?! Was this a set up?!' _ He quickly searched the room, nothing seemed to speak to the situation.

He looked at Annie who was now standing, confused.

"Get behind me...!" He hissed, grabbing her arm, and placed himself between her and the door.

"What's going on?!" She whispered.

He could hear the foot steps right out the door, the first two figures dashed in but stopped just sort of them. Their weapons were drawn. He recognized them immediately.

"Wha-? Garen? Darius?" Annie gasped. Garen and Darius stood in front of them, blocking the exit, and not only that but their weapons were pointing right at Jojo.

"YOU PATHETIC DECEIVER! How dare you attempt to harm an innocent child!" Garen barked.

Jojo flinched, how was he harming a child?! He slowly backed up, but they matched his pace.

"Even Noxus does not resort to such cruelty. The molestation of children? How low of you..." Darius sneered, his axe inched closer to Jojo's face.

Jojo felt kind of light-headed, and hot. His head started to ache. Images of a blood covered axe replaced the one in reality.

"Guys stop! He didn't hurt anyone!" Jojo could feel Annie getting warmer as well . Was he hallucinating right now? Why was everything burning up?

"Step away from the girl..." Darius ordered, his voice echoed in Jojo's head.

More footsteps? This time the next figures were...

"YOU!" He heard a woman snap. Vi and Caitlyn appeared the room. Both had the same weapons as last time. Vi's face was that of a mixture between hate and disgust. Caitlyn however remained emotionless, her gun was aimed for his chest. The situation was looking bleak.

"The jig is up, punk. Let Annie go and maybe we won't kill you." She growled, her gauntlets released some steam.

No one made a move...

"Wait! Why are you trying to hurt Mister?!" She stepped in front of him, attempting to shield him with her arms and body.

"Get away from him Annie! He's a treacherous liar! He was trying to harm you!" Garen gritted his teeth.

"NO I'M NOT! Why would I hurt her?!" He shouted, his head was now pounding, Annie's attempt to protect him and Darius' axe was having a serious affect on him.

"Cause you're a criminal! With no morals, and no regrets! You lie to try and manipulate others but I see right through you. You're a **monster! **Now go ahead! Try to get away! I DARE you!"

Vi's words struck him harder than he has ever been hit before...

No morals?

_'I was helping a little kid.'_

No regrets?

_'I regret a lot of things every moment in my life.'_

A liar?

_'Only to keep myself and others alive... Surely I'm not a monster..."_

"Am I...?" He froze, questioning everything he had done to this point. A slight ring invaded his ears.

"Let's get this over with..." He heard Darius say... and that was it.

He fell to one knee, one hand on his chest and one on his head. Panting, he struggled to speak. Annie tugged his arm.

"Mister?! Stop it! You're hurting him!" She clenched her fists, her eyes seemed to light up. Steam was emitting from her arms.

"N... no.. I'm not ... wa-wait..." He couldn't breathe correctly.

_'What is happening?! Why can't I do anything?!'_

"He's weak!" Garen readied his sword.

"He's down! Get hi-" But she didn't get to finish.

"I told you... to LEAVE. HIM. ALONE!" Annie snapped... suddenly, she was on fire.

~~~~~~ End of Chapter 3~~~~~~

**Author's notes: That was certainly longer than the last two. Looks like its about to go down already. Sorry for the long wait. Oh... an****d Annie... dat burst. Also, I obviously do not own Oreos. Have a nice day!**

**Annie: Will I get to set them on fire? :D**

**Jojo: Uh...**

**TheUnholyAfro: Maybe. We'll see Annie. You might but no promises.**

**Annie: Yay!**

**Jojo: UH...**

**TheUnholyAfro: Relax. She probably won't want to later.**

**Annie: -sets computer on fire-**

**TheUnholyAfro: Oh shi-!**

**Jojo: Yeah...**


	4. Chapter 4: Misunderstanding

Chapter 4: Misunderstanding

~~~~~~A few minutes earlier, at the institute~~~~~

"And he left you there?!"

"Yeah, dude. Was completely out of sight after he handed me the bag."

"Wow..."

Zac leaned against the wall, watching the summoners chat among themselves. By his left leg stood a furry male yordle.

The male yordle was wearing a a red helmet that didn't cover his ears, he also wore green goggles and a bomb as a backpack. He had a ring piercing on his left ear and sported a wicked grin. Like most male yordles, he was covered in fur. But he wore some type of suit that only had armor on his chest, forearms, knees and feet. His name? Ziggs, the Hexplosives Expert.

They were both standing at the opposite side of the room. Directly across from Garen and Darius, though a large crowd stood in their way, blocking much of their vision.

"This Jojo guy sounds like a major jerk. We should go blow him up!"

"What?! No! Don't blow him up! Murdering isn't cool, dude."

"Not murder him, just blow him up. He deserves it from what I can tell. Leaving you to pay for the drinks then not even apoligizing for it. I bet he'll get blasted sky high!" Ziggs jumped at the idea.

He longed for action since his last summoning was a week ago.

"No but... he's... I dunno... hurt I guess." Zac frowned, remembering how easily Jojo spilled his personal life while they were intoxicated.

"Hurt? How can a guy get hurt by bailing on his bar tab?"

"That's not what I mean. I mean he... had a rough life."

"So has more than half the guys and girls here, Zac. Y'know Shen also had a rough life? And Annie? Oh! And Irelia? What about Amumu? And wait! Even you!"

Zac grunted in annoyance.

"What's your point, Ziggs?"

"My point? You don't get to be a jerk to others just because life is being hard for you."

Zac paused, recalling how his life was like. He remembered that day when he had to save his parents from their captors and Zaunite scientists. And how he finally had injured someone for the first time. It was then from there, when Zac decided to be a hero and to protect those in need.

"Oh look. It's the Sheriff and Vi." He heard Ziggs grumble. He wasn't exactly on good terms with the duo due to his past time of "fun" involving explosions, which caused destruction and mayhem.

Both watched as the two women bolted towards Garen and Darius. He couldn't really see but it looked as though Vi was trying to warn him of something, her body movement was frantic and her face was that of anger and shock. Caitlyn mirrored her posture as well.

"I tell you man. Those two are a pain in my rump. I swear Vi has a thing for me, cause she always loves to gank me. Man! Did I ever tell you about that one battle where-"

Ziggs continued to babble but Zac was focused on the duo.

_'What's going on over there?'_

"THAT VILE SCOURGE!" Garen boomed, causing the room to fall silent.

"HOW DARE HE COMMIT SUCH AN ACT TO HER!" And with that, Garen charged down towards the Champion's Quarters.

"Come on!" Zac watched as Vi, Caitlyn, Darius and and a few summoners followed.

"Whoa... What do you suppose is going on there?" Ziggs stood on his toes, trying to get a glimpse.

"I dunno. But I'm gonna find out." Zac then slingshotted himself across the room.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Ziggs scurried between the crowd...

~~~~~~At the Champion's Quarter... again~~~~~~

Zac arrived to hear indistinct yelling. He could see the summoners crowding a door up ahead.

"He's weak!"

"He's down! Get hi-"

"I told you... to LEAVE. HIM. ALONE!"

_'Annie? Was that Annie?'_

**BOOM! **

"SHIT!" Vi shrieked. Zac saw Garen and Darius crash into the opposite wall. Vi and Caitlyn took cover outside the now charred doorway. A wave of orange and red flowed out of the room along with smoke of white and black. The summoners scattered.

Zac peeked around the door. A little girl keeled over a body, it looked like...

"Jojo?!"

Annie turned around, her face in a nasty scowl.

Zac froze at the sight of this. Annie had always been kind to him. On the battlefield she had to fight yes, even then she still smiled. But she never expressed such anger in one look.

"You stop right there!" She growled. Jojo laid still.

_'Unconscious? Or dead?'_

"Relax Annie. I'm not here to hurt you."

"No. But you're here for Mister. You're trying to hurt him too, aren't you?!" The room was getting hotter again.

Zac gulped, holding his goo arms out. He was trying appear as affable as possible.

"I'm not going to hurt Jojo, he's my friend as well." He started slowly towards them. Annie watched him tentatively. Waiting for the slightest reason to lash out on him as well.

"I just want to know why he's like this. What happened to him, Annie?"

Her gaze moved from the green blob towards the doorway. Vi and Cait peered around the door.

"They tried to hurt him, for no reason at all. So I set them on **FIRE!**" The fire on the bed and curtains were the only noise in the room.

"... He was gonna hurt you Annie..." Vi finally murmured.

"Jojo was gonna hurt her?" Zac studied the large monkey's body, which layed still.

"No he wasn't! He was helping me find Tibbers!" She snapped back.

"He's not exactly... a good person. Please... for your safety, get away from him." Caitlyn voice was soft, yet surprisingly stern.

"Urgh... why would I hurt..." Zac looked back at Jojo. He was attemping to get up but his arms were failing him. "I don't have a reason to... I'm not some cruel, twisted..." He collapsed again, his words unintelligible.

"Jojo, what's wrong with you, dude?!"

"I... I dunno... can't... move..." He panted.

"Okay, I'm here! What's going on?! Whose getting blown up?!" Ziggs appeared at the door. Noting the scenario before him.

"What... What the heck is going on? Who is that?" He pointed towards Jojo.

"That would be Jojo..." Zac started towards them again, Annie raised her left arm, fire emitting from her hand. Ziggs dived behind the bed, bracing for a blast.

"Relax..." Zac smiled softly at her. "I'm here to help him. He doesn't look too good. We should take him to the Medical Bay."

Annie didn't move. She looked up and down at Zac. In the background she could hear whispers from the other four champions. Ziggs peeked from the charred bed. She looked back at Zac, he flipped Jojo over and was examining him for wounds.

"He doesn't look good."

"Fine... but they don't get to go!" She nodded at the door.

"Whatever's okay with you." Zac lifted his friend up and began out the door. Annie followed suit. Glaring at the other four as they passed them, the fire and smoke died down.

"Hey Zac, wait up a sec!" Ziggs ran after them. Annie took no notice.

Vi and Caitlyn glanced at each other.

"I'm sorry but how are we the bad guys?" Vi grunted.

"It would seem that perhaps are accusations were wrong." Garen stood up, watching Zac carry Jojo off. "He didn't fight back, even when we threatened him."

"Huh... so because he didn't fight back and played as the victim. He's automatically a good guy?" She punched the wall leaving cracks in it.

"Don't do that, we'll have to pay for it. And he's not gonna get away so easily, I say we interrogate him in the medical bay. I however won't be joining you." Caitlyn fixed her hair, and re-adjusted her belts.

"Wait, why?"

"I have matches coming up, Vi. Didn't we go over this already?"

"Right... But what do we do about little Miss Fry Your Ass and him?"

"Use your mind Vi." She then walked away.

Darius did the same, except towards the Medical Bay. Vi and Garen however remained still, contemplating if it was a good move or not. The smoke died finally and the room returned to normal...

"Let us be away, Miss." Garen bowed.

"Yeah... better now than never." And they both headed towards the bay.

~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~

A figure stood by his window, staring at streets of Zaun below. He was a rather average man not too bulky, but not slim either. He wore a black attire of jeans and a jacket. On the back of his jacket was a single symbol, a hand with a knife through it. Another figure, one larger appeared behind him. Wore similar attire except in the form of a vest and jeans. The same symbol engraved onto the back of his vest.

"There's a problem..."

The figure by the window swiftly turned around, causing the larger one to gulp.

"The little toy, it started to grow hotter and heavier as we got farther from the Institute. Eventually it was too heavy to move easily and too hot to carry."

"Hmm..."

"And there's another problem..."

"...There sure is a lot of problems, perhaps I need to teach you and your crew another lesson?"

"No, boss! I mean- no, please... it was a mistake. But... one of my members, his clothes got snagged by something, and his symbol was torn off, so he went to go and get it but..."

"But?"

"He saw Arminian pick it up, boss."

The Boss raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm... Bring him here."

"Wait! But we'll get it back, boss! We promi-"

**THWACK!**

The larger man fell on his back, the Boss remained the same position he was before.

"That was an order..."

"O-okay, Boss." The larger one said remorseful.

And he disappeared through the shadows.

The Boss sighed, continuing watching the streets below.

"Umbra." He called. Another figure approached the Boss, this time a female. She too was wearing all black attire and had a hood over her head. But her eyes glowed gold in the darkness. The symbol was on the top of her hood.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Boss. Not lord. It would seem that I cannot even trust them to do a simple task without any fault."

"Perhaps you should not be so hard on them."

The Boss stayed silent. Umbra didn't move, she instead continued to stare at him. Perhaps testing his resolve.

"... I have a task for you..."

"Yes, my lord?"

"One of the younglings lost their symbol at the institute."

"You want me to retrieve it, my lord?"

"If you can... but the real task is Arminian."

She blinked.

"My lord?"

"Arminian is at the institute, alive I should add."

"Oh..."

"His next move would probably be to get his revenge on us. I cannot have that happen, do you understand?"

"Yes... my lord..." She turned towards the door, her heart picked up its pace. She didn't want him to see it.

"And Umbra..."

She paused. A slight chill in her spine.

"Boss, not lord."

"Yes... boss.." Her voice wavered.

~~~~~~Back in the Institute~~~~~~

"I said I'm fine now, Zac. Put me down already."

"Bro. You were paralyzed on the ground."

"That was cause it was hot and- and... Look, I was under a lot of stress!"

"So you fainted, bro?

"I... shut up. And put me down!" Jojo thrashed around causing Zac to let go of him. Annie and Ziggs were giggling behind them. "I'm fine so stop carrying me."

"Aw... Are you embarrassed?" Zac said, causing more laughes from the two little ones. Zac joined in them as well. But Jojo didn't seem amused, as he was glaring at him.

"No. But I do have some important things to take care of thank you very much." He turned away from them.

"Take a joke for once jeez..." He heard Ziggs' voice. He stopped moving in response to it.

"I don't have time for that."

"He's just trying to lighten the mood, atleast give him the decency of a smile or something. He even came to your rescue despite the fact everyone thought you were going to hurt Annie!"

"..."

Zac stepped forward, "Ziggs, stop. Look, Jojo I di-"

"No." He interrupted, "He's right. I'm too much... of a jerk. Especially to you." He turned around, facing the three of them. "I'm sorry, Zac. For leaving you in that bar with the tab. It was a dick move. Hell, I act like one as well. But give me some time to fix my act. Alright, guys?"

"Uh... sure... bro. Whatever you say." Zac was bewildered, he had expected a comeback but he apologized instead.

_'Maybe those words hit him more than he says._

Ziggs was also shocked, he expected hostility but was given a remorseful response in return.

"I just have some problems that I need to settle, is all. But that doesn't mean I should treat you all like this. So, again, I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright, bro." Zac scratched his head, even though he doesn't have nails nor does he itch.

"Now excuse me, I have to visit an old friend. He has a certain little child's belonging." He turned back around and was about to dash.

"Wait! I'm coming with you!" Zac shouted, and ran up to him.

"Why?"

"Cause you're my bro, bro." He grinned.

"Zac it's gonna be dangerous. You may get seriously hurt or killed."

"Bro, please... THEY may get seriously hurt." He flexed his blob-arms, posing in the process. Annie giggled.

"I'm going too!" This time it was Ziggs who triumphantly stepped up. "Anyone who messes with Annie is gonna get fried... and.. BOMBED!" A bomb quickly materialized in his hand.

Jojo stood confused.

_'And where did that bomb come fr-'_

"Can I please go too?" Annie tugged at his pants again.

"Annie it's gonna be dang-"

"I can set them on fire!" She puffed out her chest, her mind was set.

He closed his mouth, now taking in account of Annie's capability.

"I suppose so if you promise to stay close to us."

"Yay!" She clapped her hands together. The action created sparks of fire between her hands.

"Then it's settled." Zac put his hands on his hips, looking upward, posing again. "We're all gonna get Tibbers back for Annie. Onward! My companions!" He pointed out the door.

"Yeah!" Ziggs and Annie roared.

Jojo shook his head.

~~~~~~At the Medical Bay~~~~~~

"What do you MEAN there is no patient under the name Jojo?!"

"I mean that there isn't and never was a patient by that name. Are you sure that is the correct name?" The nurse checked her clipboard again.

"Does it look like I don't know what I'm talking about?" Vi sneered.

Garen stepped between them, Darius only watched.

"Our apologies, Miss. We are only trying to locate this individual to question him. We believe he may try to cause harm to another."

"Well even if he is, he's still not here. I'm sorry but there is no Jojo Arminian residing here."

"My thanks for your time then, Miss." Garen grabbed Vi and led her out the door. "Tis strange... I was sure I overheard Zac say that he will take him here."

"You were right. He did say that. But he didn't do it."

"You don't suppose that Zac..." His voice trailed off.

"No. Not Zac. I don't believe it at all. There's a better explanation than that. I know Zac is good. Not so much his 'friend'."

She sighed. Sitting down on the front steps of the entrance.

"This is great. Son of a bitch runs off with Annie. We confront him. And we're the bad guys. Now he has her again and we have no idea where he is."

"Yes but Zac is with them, and so is Ziggs. And did you forget about Miss Hastur's ability to set things on fire?"

"Yeah but... still he could probably take them all out."

"Oh? Have you've seen Mr. Arminian's capabilities in combat?"

"... Yes. And not the combat where there are rules holding you down."

"You've seen him fight outside the League of Legends?"

"Heh... Seen? I've **FOUGHT **the bastard."

"Under... consent... off each other?" He knelt beside her. Putting his hand on her shoulder.

"No." She grimly replied.

"By the Gods..."

"It wasn't like that Garen." She rubbed her ribs, they still felt sensitive where they broke.

"Huh?"

"We... kind of attacked him first."

"We?"

"Caitlyn and I."

"Ah. And if I may ask why you two attacked him?"

"Because he murdered an innocent civilian in Piltover, our hometown."

"Oh..."

"Yeah... And we got fucked up."

"Oh... So he was never punished for his crime?"

"Yeah... even to this day he's gotten away with it. But I'm gonna bring him in one day."

"Vi."

They both turned around, Darius stood behind them. His face unreadable but his eyes pierced right through her. "I have killed countless enemies of Noxus."

"That's Noxus." She met his gaze.

"So has Garen, but is he from Noxus?"

"No. But he fights for his nation."

"So does that make killing another okay?"

"...No... not really... but you had reasons for doing it. He didn't!"

"Says who?"

"Eh?"

"Who said he had no reason to kill that single individual?"

"Well the report said the poor guy lived an honest life by-"

"Do you believe everything that you are told?"

Silence...

"No..." She finally said.

"There are two sides to every story. You've only seen one of his, perhaps it is too early to label him as a murderer."

"..."

"You should question him, maybe you'll learn why he did it."

"... But wait... You jumped on his case when we thought he was gonna hurt Annie, did you not?"

"I admit I did, but only for the safety of Annie. After she continued to defend him I questioned 'why would she?' It was then at that moment that I came to a conclusion that perhaps we may have acted without thinking."

"..."

"We should ask him."

"What if he lies?"

"How would we know?"

"..." She looked down at the ground. "What if he doesn't want to answer?"

"Then confront him another time."

Her jaw dropped, "I didn't expect you to be the peaceful type as well Darius."

"I'm helping your situation. If it was me in your place. He would've died when I first confront him."

"O...oh... right... So we should go find him now?"

Darius simply nodded.

"Agreed." Garen was also appalled, he just didn't show it. His enemy gave advice that contradicted his very nature, and helped another without fighting. He didn't know how to make sense of it.

"But where do we start? I dunno where he goes."

"Perhaps we should try his room." Garen searched around.

"Isn't he still looking for Annie's toy?" Darius sheathed his axe.

"Then where would he be?" Vi squinted into the distance. She could make out a large male monkey, but his attire was red and gold.

_'It's only Wukong.'_

He walked towards the Institute, waving at them as he passed by.

"Perhaps he went to the bar."

"With Annie, Garen? Seriously? I thought we're trying to pretend that he's actually helping her." She asked, the sarcasm present in her voice.

"Tis only a thought. Maybe someone has seen them."

"Hmm... probably. He and Wu are the only giant monkeys in this place. And you can spot Zac from a mile away"

"Then let us be off."

And the they walked toward the main avenue.

~~~~~~End of Chapter~~~~~~

**Author's notes: Nothing special, just setting down the setting... lawl.**

**Feel free to read and tell me what you think, and as always, have a nice day!**


	5. Chapter 5: The fan is on

Chapter 5: The fan is on...

~~~~~~Inside Arminian's Room~~~~~~

"Why are we here, bro? I thought we were going to kick some serious butt."

"Because..." He crouched next to his bed, reached under it, and pulled out a large case. "If you're gonna go with me than you need to know what you're getting yourself into. Cause believe me, all of you, this is about to get serious."

"Yeah, yeah. You said that already, get to the point!" Ziggs shifted from side to side, clearly impatient.

Zac shot a look at him in an effort to shut him up.

"This suitcase." Jojo removed the lock on the large cobalt case. "Holds me." And he opened it.

The contents inside consisted of papers, weapons, a few rings, a piece of armor or two and some...

"Whoa! Is this you?" Zac pointed towards a picture of a small, monkey. He looked incredibly young, and happy. He was holding the hands of what looked like his parents. Who also seemed to be smiling. He was also wearing some sort of tribal attire as only his sacred parts were covered.

"Yeah. That's me when I was little." He shifted through some papers, noticing Annie's hands moving towards the picture. He didn't bother to stop her.

"Is that your mommy and daddy, Mister?" She tilted her head, analyzing the picture.

He flinched at the words. But regained his posture. Zac and Ziggs noticed this.

"Yes, Annie. Those were my parents..." He placed a single paper next to him and shifted through more. The word, "were" lingered in the air.

"Uh... what's with the weapons?" Ziggs intervened, seeing the despair in Jojo's eyes.

"Oh these?" He flipped a dagger, which landed right in front of Ziggs. Who jumped in response. "These are what I used during my..." He stopped shifting through papers, squinting at the window. "Mischievous days..."

"Mischievous huh?" Ziggs examined the dagger, it had a red handle and the blade had rusted greatly, but still looked sharp. Very dangerous indeed.

"Can I see?" Annie tried to grab it but Ziggs held it away from her.

"Uh-uh. This is something you shouldn't be holding, kid. You're gonna get cut and get an infection from this old thing."

Jojo placed down a second paper, "She'll get more than that..."

"Whaddya mean?" Ziggs took another glimpse at the knife.

"Any area on your body slashed by that knife is gonna rot right off your bones."

"GAH!" Ziggs tossed the knife at the door, away from everyone. "Why would you KEEP something like that?!" Annie started to giggle.

"So my enemies would leave me alone." Jojo solemnly replied.

"Jojo..." It was Zac who spoke. "Were you in some sort of gang in the past?"

"...yes." He placed the the third and final paper down in front of all 3 of them.

"Wait how did he know you were in one?"

"Here. Take a look." Jojo handed the papers to reach of them.

"They're called the Forgotten." All three of them looked at the papers. "It's mostly consist of people no one cares about, usually orphans, thieves, low-lifes, homeless, so on, and so on."

"And you were part of them?" Zac skimmed through the page, there was a picture of a figure but their hood was up...

"For a while, yeah. And so were many others."

"Why, bro? If it's alright to ask."

Jojo sighed, "It was the only place that would take me in at the time, Zaun wasn't a very forgiving place for someone like me." He picked up another weapon in the suitcase, it was a disc but the edges were fine tuned. Unlike the dagger, it was all white.

"You came from Zaun?" Ziggs looked at him sideways.

"Not exactly... but we'll get to that later." He stood up. The piece of armor was now in his hand. "The Forgotten, is a gang of a hundred plus members, each under the control of one, malicious son of a-"

"Ahem!" Zac pointed is eyes toward Annie who watched Jojo happily.

"Bad person..."

"Son of a bad person?" Annie repeated.

"Yes Annie, son of a bad person indeed. Because the leader, A.K.A. the Boss is cruel, and not to mention... a murderer. He will NOT hesitate to kill any of you. Which is why I'm still contemplating on bringing you, Annie."

"Hmph!" She stuck out her tongue.

"Okay so lemme get this straight... you used to be part of a gang, and your boss who also goes by the name, "Boss" stole Annie's toy?" Ziggs scratched his chin.

"Tibbers is not a toy!" She snapped.

"Bear, belonging, whatever! He stole it!"

"Exactly... and if I can get to him, I can get it back." He clipped the piece of armor onto his right gauntlet, it seemed to reinforce it more than it already was.

"Wait a second, this doesn't make any sense... Why would your boss steal Annie's things?"

"That's the question isn't it? Why Annie's bear? I don't have an answer but I'm gonna find out." He clipped on the second piece of armor, it covered his neck. "You guys should probably go put on some armor as well."

"Bro, seriously? C'mon now." Zac shook his body.

"Oh yeah, you're all...goo. But what about you two?"

"I am wearing armor! Any more and I won't be able to run fast enough." Ziggs twirled a bomb in his hand.

"Annie?"

"I don't like armor..."

"Annie." His voice was more stern.

"Aww. Do I have to?" She whined.

"It would make us feel better if you were protected since you wanted to go with us."

"I can just be on fire, y'know."

"Annie."

"Ohhh Okay... hmph!"

"Good. Zac in my drawers over there should be a child size chest plate, leggings, gauntlets and helmet." He pointed towards the front of his bed, where a medium sized drawer rested.

"Um.." Zac opened it up , taking the pieces of armor out. "Why... do you have children armor, bro?"

"Cause the Forgotton has orphans."

They all went silent at the thought. Child soldiers...

"Whoa..." Was all that Zac called say.

"This is one of the reasons why I don't wanna take you guys along with me. Last chance to back down."

They all stared at him, a look of determination set on all of them. He then grabbed the pieces of armor from Zac and laid them in front of Annie. "Now you know how armor works do you Annie?"

"Yes."

"Then we'll wait outside the door while you put them on." He gestured the yordle and blob to leave the room.

"W-wait!"

They all stopped.

"I don't know... how to put it on..." She apologetically said, fiddling with her thumbs.

"Hold on... don't you sometimes buy armor when playing matches?" Jojo asked.

"Yes..." She blushed.

"Then why is this different?"

"The 'arm-er' in games just... y'know... happens."

"What?" He was baffled.

"Yeah, bro. Haven't you ever bought armor in your matches?"

"Um... no actually. My previous beta summons were all pure offensive items."

"Wow... so then what do we do here?" They all stared at Annie, she was picking up the helmet.

"Well one of us is going to have to help her." Jojo stated.

Both Zac and Ziggs looked at him.

"Nope. Not doing it. Last time I was left alone with her everyone thought I was a pedophile. You do it."

"Seriously, bro?"

"Yeah why not? Everyone likes you."

"Bro... what part of I never wore armor cause I'm made of goo do you not understand?"

"Oh... core concept I guess. Then that leaves..." They both looked down at Ziggs.

"Wha-?! M-me?! W-why me?!" Ziggs exclaimed.

"Well for one, you're about the size of her, so that makes it less... weird."

"Yeah but! She's a little girl to me as well! I'm not a pedophile!"

"Relax, you're not supposed to take the undergarments off. Just the first layer, then you have to put this on her so she doesn't bruise herself banging into the plates." He held up the gambeson. "Overall it shouldn't be that heavy for her. Just under four pounds I think."

"W-wait!"

"Yeah?"

Ziggs exhaled, his face down, and if anyone could see, he was probably redder than a tomato.

"Nobody. You hear me? Nobody better hear about this."

"You have my word." Jojo responded, putting his hand in his chest, he then closed the door. He could've sworn Ziggs gulped.

A few minutes passed with a few "clinks" and "clanks".

"Hey!" Annie would sometimes shout.

"I'M NOT TOUCHING HER!" Ziggs would always beckon.

Soon the door unlocked and out walked an armored Annie and Ziggs, stiff as a statue.

"How'd it go, dude?" Zac teased. Ziggs grumbled, red-faced while at it.

"How do the plates feel Annie?" Jojo examined her, making sure Ziggs didn't rush and mess up t the connections.

"Plates?" She tilted her head.

"The armor I meant."

"Oh! It's cold but okay, I guess, kind of clunky. Do I really have to wear this?"

"Yes... Pretend you're a knight or something."

"You mean like Amumu?!" Her eyes glinted, "I already always wanted to be a knight like Amumu!"

"Um." Was all he could respond with.

_'Isn't Amumu just a mummy?'_

"Go with it." Zac whispered.

"Alright. You sure you don't want more armor Ziggs?"

"No!" He quickly replied, still flustered at the situation.

"Alright then. Now... ONWARD MY COMP-"

"What are you guys doing?" They all froze... behind them stood a familiar gold and red large monkey.

"Wukong! Hey, bud! How's it going?" Zac stretched out his hand.

"I've been well. Again, what are you guys doing?"

"We're on a mission!" Ziggs puffed out his chest.

"To save Tibbers!" Annie copied him in movement.

Wukong looked at Zac. A sarcastic smile on his face.

"Seriously... what are you doing?"

"As crazy as it sounds, Wu. Annie's bear, Tibbers was stolen from a gang that Jojo here used to be in. So now we're all gonna get it back.

"So what's with all the armor?" His eyes bounced between Jojo and Annie.

"Well... as it turns out. His gang might be dangerous so we're taking extra precautions."

"Huh... and do the elder summoners know about this situation?"

"Uh... probably."

"Annnnd Annie is going as well?"

"I can handle myself." She stood up straight. Beating her chest. Making a, **CLUNK!,** while at it.

"She's a lot more dangerous than she makes out to be. Plus I tried to change her mind but she insisted." Jojo reassured.

"Right... Well then if that's the case, have fun." He walked away, whistling carelessly.

"Okay... ONWARD MY COMPANIONS!"

"YEAH!" They both answered.

Jojo sighed, but was smiling inside.

_'So... these are what friends are...'_

~~~~~~At the Flailing Cow~~~~~~

"DO NOT EVER GRAB MY HORNS!" Alistar roared. Smashing a chair by accident.

A summoner cowered in the corner, on the verge of having a heart attack. And why would she not? Alistar was a force to be reckoned with, who was also drunk... and pissed. That Summoner should have never taken that bet. Summoner Grey was the only thing holding Alistar back.

"Now Alistar, I know you're upset, because she violated your personal space. But let's take a moment to rethink this thoroughly. Just focus on breathing... She didn't mean any harm."

Alistar edged away from the frightened summoner, with aid from Grey. He eased himself into the chair, steam released from his nostrils. He glared daggers at her still, the summoner was still whimpering. Finally Alistar looked away, and rested his head on the bar counter with his arms folded. It wasn't long till he was snoring away...

The sun was starting to set. It's radiating light hitting Alistar directly in his face through the window, he didn't flinch. Instead smiling, accepting it's welcoming warmth.

Summoner Grey signaled everyone, and soon the room returned to it's normal whole-hea. He took a seat next to the tempered Minotaur. Resting his head in his hands, he called out, "Rumble, may I take another Champion's Delight?"

"Coming right up!"

Grey looked into the palm of his hands, the coloring seemed off.

_'One last drink. Then I need to stop.' _He didn't notice a Summoner take a seat next to him, the same Summoner that aggravated Alistar.

"Hey, Grey... thanks for saving my ass."

Grey didn't look at her. "It's quite alright, Nate. My only wish is that you take into consideration of the consequences that your actions may cause."

"Atleast I made 100 coins, right?" Nate grinned. Rumble was mixing two beverages, one was blue, the other was red.

Grey sighed. "You realize how dire the situation was before I had intervened right?"

"Yeah, good thing you were there huh?" She curled her brown long hair. "I mean Alistar probably could've pounded my face in."

"Could've? You mean would have. What compelled you to commit such an idiotic act?" Rumble slid the drink across the counter. It was now of a purple variety.

"My friends made a bet saying that I couldn't do it. I maybe also drunk."

"Maybe might be under exaggerating it."

"Okay, so I'm tipsy. So sue me. Atleast I proved them wrong."

"And almost payed dearly for it. You shouldn't let them pressure you into doing such crude acts. They're a bad example." He downed the whole shot in a single go. He shook his head. Feeling the spiciness and sweetness wash down his throat. He was annoyed now. Judging her unproductive actions.

"Aw.. I forgot how much you cared for me." She teased. Grey showed no response to this.

"Are you prepared for the PBE match tomorrow?" He said, in his calm, reserved tone again, changing the subject.

"Hell yeah!" She slurred, excitedly. "Remind me though. What type of match is it?"

Grey cracked his knuckles, "My personal favorite, five teams of two, engaged in joyous, thrilling battle."

"How long is the battle, again?" Rumble handed her a blue drink.

"First team to 40 kills wins."

"And what does this do again?"

"It allows the elder ones to see how compatible we summoners are with each other and our chosen champions."

Nate giggled, causing Grey to give her a look.

"I do not mean compatibility in infatuation terms nor sexual terms. I mean strategic terms of combat and communication."

"Sure you did Grey, sure you did. Now what's the plan?"

"I suggest you choose a high damage inducing champion with a little defense. Since Jojo Arminian excels at attack damage assaults, you should go for a mage. Preferably one who can get themselves out of inauspicious situations."

"But why a burst mage why not a tankier one?"

"Because Arminian is a bruiser class champion. He can undoubtedly hold his own on a fight against one or two due to his above average defense but needs compensation for his average damage output. That's where your mage comes in."

"So what type of high damage mage are we talking about here?" She sipped the drink.

"We do not need to rely on quick cooldowns, according to Arminian's stats, he doesn't have moderately long cooldowns. About 9 is his longest cooldown."

"Crowd Control?"

"One is preferably fine, Arminian has a slow, though it is relatively weak. He also has a pull that leads into a knock up. It's an A.O.E as well. That's only his ultimate however. And it has a considerably long timer."

"No shit! Sounds overpowered as all hell!" She gasped, Alistar stirred slightly. Grey motioned her to keep quiet.

"Once again, considerably long cooldown. Three minutes and fifty seconds to be precise. So if we use it, we better have a plan to follow up."

"Okay... sooooo... hmm..." She finished her drink. Pondering over the thought of a mage with high damaging spells, a defensive one or two, and A.O.E to follow up with Jojo's. "...Katarina?"

"Hmm... Miss Du Couteau would be the appropiate match but there are 8 other champions we are fighting. Miss Du Couteau doesn't have the necessary defense that we can utilize, however. If she gets caught out of position while Jojo is not around, she's done."

"Aw... Kat and I really do work well together." She groaned.

"Perhaps when we see the other summoner's choices is when we should decide our mage and perhaps Miss Du Couteau will actually be needed instead, but right now let us focus on building a plan."

"Wait!" She placed her hand over his mouth. "What about Morgana? Or Lissandra? -gasp- or even Kennen?"

"... Yes... yes... They will work, Lissandra's crowd control will compensate for Jojo's. Her ultimate will compliment his. She also can teleport away from danger... beautiful..." He commented. "Rumble! May I have another, please?" Nate grinned.

"No problem, bud. What about you, Miss?

"Yes please, thank you. Continue?"

"Kennen on the other hand has constant crowd control compared to Lissandra's long cooldowns, and even an A.O.E. stun. His movement speed and small frame make him hard to hit as w

She grinned at it. Watching him think and talk to himself was one of her favorite past times.

"Morgana however... she has the longest crowd control of them all. 3 seconds of absolute torture, couple with her ability to slow and stun 3 other champions and she has half of them on lockdown. With her shield blocking incoming crowd control, this will give Jojo the chance to initiate. The A.O.E. pool as an added bonus." Grey turned to her, Rumble slid the drink.

"Summoner Nate, are you ready to, quote un-quote, own?" He caught the drink, fairly impressed at their plan.

"Fuck yeah!" She growled, excitedly, while lifting her glass.

**Clink! **They toasted and downed their drinks. Confident in tomorrow's match.

"I've got a good feeling about this, Grey. But... I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"Are they forcing you to use Jojo Arminian?"

"No. I volunteered myself for it."

"Why?"

"Jojo Arminian... The Vengeful, Tenacious One." He grinned at the title.

"Uh..."

"Oh! Forgive me, I was lost in my amusement for a second. You see... Arminian fascinates me in many ways."

She giggled again.

"Not that way... I mean his history fascinates me, his personality fascinates me, his combat style fascinates me. Did you know he is geared to pursue his targets? To constantly apply pressure to them until they fall? Kind of like Vi, right? But then his ult allows him to devestate the whole enemy team. His blunt personality even adds to it. Simply amazing." His eyes seemed to gleam.

"I don't mean to sound like a bitch but... you sound like you have a hard-on for the dude." She frankly stated.

Grey's smile faltered slightly, "Summoner Nate, I thought I had made it perfectly clear that I am not intrigued by Arminian in that way. Is it not logical that I instead admire him?"

"I'm just saying, Grey. Lighten up a bit, it's only a joke. Rumby , can we get another?" She sang.

"Right away, Miss."

Grey sighed. He forgot about the one more drink he said he would have. Now he was onto his 7th one. Next to him, Alistar stirred, then giggled, still asleep, he turned his head towards the sun, smiling.

Out the window, the sun created a beautiful haze of orange as it set...

~~~~~~Sometime later~~~~~~

"Are you sure you're good to go, Grey? You guys can stay here if you want."

"Tis... quite alright." He breathed, Nate hung onto his shoulder. Both staggered out the door.

"Really? Cause you look like your about to collapse."

"No, no. I'm fine... Really.. I am." He let out a hiccup.

Rumble folded his arms, and gave him a look.

"Okay okay..." Grey gave in. "But let me go get some aspirin from the store down the street." He carried Nate to an empty couch. She seemed to be already asleep.

"See? She was all ready to pass out. You guys wouldn't have made it." He smirked while picking up the last 2 beer jugs on the table by the window.

"Okay, I see your point. It was bad judgement." He placed Nate down and proceeded to the door.

"Hey, Grey..." He spotted before the door. It is her voice, all soft and ridden with worry. It brought back memories.

"Yes...?"

"Be carefull..." She looked as though she was going to say something after that but she closed her eyes and laid still.

Grey simply looked at Rumble, who shrugged at the moment. Grey nodded, heading out into the now cool, silent night.

~~~~~~Outside a pharmacy~~~~~~

Grey was on his way back to the bar, a small pack of aspirin in his right hand. He popped one pill. His head already aching. He could already see the bar even though it was a little blurry. Now that he realized it, his vision was starting to blur gradually.

_'Oh... Surely you're not going to pass out here, are you?'_

Grey picked up his pace. Ignoring his train of thought. But it persisted.

_'Would be quite the embarrassment, especially with sneaky little thieves awaiting for one simple mistake, right?'_

_'Do not speak.'_

_'Is that anyway to treat yourself?'_

_'Do. Not. Speak.'_

_'Especially since it wasn't too long ago that-'_

_'Shut up.'_

_'Ah! So you do remember! I was worried I had to remind you.'_

_"_**Shut the fuck up!**" He jolted, realizing he was a couple of feet from the bar. In the corner of his eye, a couple of hooded figures leaned on a wall across the street. They had their heads down so he couldn't make out their faces.

Grey rubbed his eyes. He needed rest, for he had been up since dawn. Petty punks can wait. He wasn't any use fatigued anyway, and his mind... his mind was starting to... falter.

He unlocked the bar door, and walked in. After locking it again, he placed himself onto the most isolated couch. Nate and Alistar were sound asleep. Rumble could be heard snoring in the other room.

Grey collapsed onto the couch, kicking off his boots in one swoop. His mind raced and he found that his heart was beating a little faster than usual. But he was exhausted now. Some sleep should help, hopefully.

His eyes closed slowly, and soon he too, drifted into a blissful slumber.

Outside, the hooded figures still stood by the wall, then one of them nodded. This caused another to step out the shadows, this one was thinner and smaller than the rest. They bowed their heads toward the figure. It nodded, and led them towards the institute...

**Author's note: Sorry for the long wait. Internet connection has been kind of bad for the past month. Anyhow, here's chapter 5, and as always have a nice day!**


End file.
